The present invention is directed to a system for identifying and tracking a deceased body. In particular, the system of the present disclosure is directed to tracking a body among various after-death loci, such as the funeral home, the crematorium, the retort, to final resting place, which may be as cremated remains.
It is not an unusual occurrence for deceased bodies to be mistakenly switched at morgues, at funeral homes, or at crematoriums. Such an occurrence is traumatic to the decedent's family and friends, and can be a large liability on the part of the funeral home, crematorium, or other involved party. Recent events have uncovered instances where deceased bodies were not processed as intended by the decedent's family, or as required by law, but rather, bodies have been disposed of in dumping grounds.
Attempts have been made to place an identification tag or other sort of identification means on the bodies in order to minimize, and preferably eliminate, the occurrence of mistaken identity. Such a system would improve the ease of mind of the decedent's family. However, these attempts at tagging have had disadvantages in that the identification tag can be removed from the body, can be mutilated, destroyed or tampered with, or the tags themselves can be destroyed by the burial process (such as during the cremation process).
What is desired is an identification system for deceased bodies that, once attached to the body, cannot be removed from the body and that will stay with the body throughout the burial process. In addition, it is desirable that such an identification system be associated with a reliable tracking system that allows users of the system to instantaneous identify and locate the body at an stage of the post-mortem proceedings.